at the grass roots

[ramtops]

so we went to our first local LibDem meeting last night.

we are the Rural sub-branch of the Woodspring constituency (all hail, Liam Fox!), and the meeting was held in the house of the indefatigable Angela, who seems to give all her time to such things, as does her husband David.

there were seven of us there - the aforementioned Angela and Dave, the "unofficial" chairman (don't ask), a chap who used to be LibDem leader of the local county council, ourselves, and another brand new recruit, aged about 21, who was fallen upon with cries of glee as fresh young blood.

there are clearly many opportunities locally - in the course of the evening, I seem to have been:

• invited to stand as an LEA school governor for the local primary school; I might actually do this as it is, literally, just round the corner, and it might be somewhere where I could do something which is useful


• "oh - you can use a computer, can't you?", the inevitable cry ... so I have borne away the latest EARS cd, which seems to be the Cowley Street organisational software, showing the local electoral roll, voter patterns, delivery routes, etc. And I just know that I'm going to lumbered with running this, not just for our little local sub-branch, but for the constituency, as apparently the chap who does that now doesn't like doing it. My protestations that I don't use Windows fell on stony ground


• we could even have the opportunity to go to Conference as a voting member this year, if not in the spring, then in the autumn - now that might be nice


• perlmonger and I were fixed with Angela's beady eye as the subject of the annual Sausage and Mash and Quiz night came up. Or, more specifically, the subject of the Mash element of this. I think we're doomed here - it'll be peelers at the ready, and no amount of explaining that we never peel our spuds for mash is going to help. I did say this was politics right at the potato grass roots, didn't I?


• the last, and most astonishing, was being asked to consider standing as a local councillor in 2007. I'm almost 100% sure I won't do this, for all sorts of reasons.
  
  
  
  • I really don't have any experience at all
  
  
  • I think it would take way too much time - there's only two of us to keep the business going
  
  
  • the thought of campaigning fills me with dread - me? go out and talk to strangers?
  
  but, after thinking about it some more overnight, I'm going to think about it some more. I *want* to get involved, I want to do something that contributes, I want to get out of the house.
  
  so we'll see ...

Comments

[jozafeen.livejournal.com]

Tee hee - it's a slippery slope you know!

I did my bit for the Labour Party (pre-Blares) and realised it was time to stop when the place they had their meetings was closed and 30 of them turned up at my house just as I was serving a romantic meal for two ...... and wouldn't go away!

[ramtops.livejournal.com]

> Tee hee - it's a slippery slope you know!

oh yes - I do know. And I'm a bit worried that I'm going to get sucked in, if I'm not very careful. There aren't many members locally, but they're very dedicated and enthusiastic. I wish the election was in 2008, so I had a bit more time to decide.

and we couldn't *get* 30 people in our house. I don't think ...

[brisingamen.livejournal.com]

I think I'm lucky I've not been sucked into more, given we are a reasonably large and active branch, but a number of your experiences last night ring all too true with me. And I've heard others have had the 'stand for the council' experience. I gather I'm unusual in having expressed some interest first. I'm not sure there is any way of getting experience before becoming a councillor, but if you're a Lib-Dem, council Lib-Dem groups typically tend to be very supportive of their own, so you won't be left floundering. There will always be people to help and guide you. You think I'd seriously consider it if there wasn't?

[ramtops.livejournal.com]

thanks for that - it's given me a teensy bit more confidence :)

[thunderbox.livejournal.com]

perlmonger and I were fixed with Angela's beady eye as the subject of the annual Sausage and Mash…

While admiring such self-sacrifice in furtherance of a cause you both espouse, there's not a lot of meat on a perlmonger, is there?

Are you sure these won't be rather thin sausages?

[ramtops.livejournal.com]

I've been fattening him up in readiness.

[thunderbox.livejournal.com]

Not…not…two bowls of gruel?

[ramtops.livejournal.com]

no, lard. Nourishing, is lard.

[timill]

we could even have the opportunity to go to Conference as a voting member this year, if not in the spring, then in the autumn - now that might be nice

URbrisingamenAICM5P

[ramtops.livejournal.com]

there is a startling similarity, is there not? Although one could hardly imagine a better role model for me :)

[brisingamen.livejournal.com]

That's very kind of you. Today I am not fit to be anyone's role model. Tired ...

[burkesworks.livejournal.com]

the last, and most astonishing, was being asked to consider standing as a local councillor in 2007.

Join the club; the local LibDems have already asked me to do so in 2006.

While I'm honoured and flattered, there's no way I'm likely to take them up on their offer, having served on committees on the past - a sure-fire way to get supernumerary grey hairs - and being rather too-well-known by some of the local Labourites, who would sell scandal stories about their own grandmothers to the Telegraph & Argus so long as it keeps their own factions in Bradford City Hall. I don't really fancy appearing on page one of the aforementioned rag next to some guff about me making Charlie Kennedy look like Lord Soper.

I cannot speak for Woodspring Council but I'm pretty sure there's nowhere near as much internecine squabbling, back-stabbing and generally Byzantine practices as in local government round these parts.

[ramtops.livejournal.com]

I cannot speak for Woodspring Council but I'm pretty sure there's nowhere near as much internecine squabbling, back-stabbing and generally Byzantine practices as in local government round these parts.

oh, I don't know. I was told of foul deeds with Tory supporters using a horsebox to obscure a LibDem poster - how low can they go?!

in truth, I suspect it's the same everywhere - local politics is, if anything, even more vicious than national, I suspect.